A big wet hello from Oregon!

[Oregoon]

Hey there!

I'm Fitz, AKA Oregoon, a 40-year old father of two, trucker by trade, writer by avocation, avid fisherman, rock climber and fan of all things outdoors.

My love for the mighty Ford inliner began circa 1990 with my high-school girlfriend's '81 Bronco, which we drove all over Oregon with hardly a thought for such things as maintenance or oil. A few years later, I worked on a farm, where we had all sorts great old trucks, including a '69 F600 with a 300 and a 5-and-2 that would haul 10 tons of hay, albeit very slowly. During college, I worked as a delivery driver/warranty specialist for an automotive engine rebuilder, and would come across 240 and 300-cid Fords with absurdly high miles. In fact, our delivery truck had a 4.9 with 375,000 on it, and it ran well, though fouled plugs occasionally. After I learned that UPS used 300s for decades, I knew I had to have one. However, as always, life kept getting in the way.

Also, my compulsion to rescue cool old project-cars proved problematic and my fantasy-Ford project kept getting pushed to the back burner and my time went toward a '57 Willys Truck with a Buick V8, a '73 Travelall with a 392, '75 Cherokee with a 258, '64, '68, '70, and '76 Bugs, '69 and '70 Busses, an '84 Landcruiser, '70 Volvo, '80 and '81 Mercedes diesels, '66 Carryall with a 292, a '94 F150 with a 4.9... All fun enough, I guess, but not bought because they were what wanted, but because they were good deals.

No, despite 20 years of hobby-wrenching, I never came across anything I liked as well as a '61-'66 two-wheel drive longbed Ford with a big-block six, and I dreamt of building one in the mud-spattered hillbilly-hotrod style of the trucks I grew up around on the farms and in the foothills west of Portland.

Flash forward to last week, when a buddy called me up and told me to come by and check out the truck he'd found (he builds customs for a living, so he comes across a lot of neat old iron). I jumped on my old cruiser bike and pedaled over to his shop, where I fell head-over-heels for a '65 F100 with a big-block six, three-on-the-tree, and very little rust. We put some gas and a battery in it, and she fired right up despite sitting since '08. An hour or so later and $500 poorer, I drove it home. It is exactly the truck I've been after for years and he gave it to me for a song. I am blessed to have such friends--he could've flipped it for $1500 with no trouble at all.

Anyway, I have some mild resto-custom plans for it: Warm up that six a little, update the brakes, find a set of slot-mags, paint it, etc... Anyway, I am really looking forward to tearing into my new project, and am thrilled to have found a community of fellow Ford fans!

Thanks in advance for your help, and sorry for any dumb questions.

[slick4x4]

f r o m
K A N S A S

[jkimbrel65]

from Al

mike

[foodstick]

I love the direction you are going with it Oregoon ! I have been up there and sailed the Gorge in my young and skinny days.. Beautiful area...

[61blacklowrider]

Welcome from Northern Nevada.

[Toyz]

from the Third Coast!
Paul

[unibody madness]

welcome from California where we are jealous of your full service cheaper gas stations and allways green hillsides. Sounds like you have a great start.

[cooter]

With the big swap meet every april, you should have no problem finding parts! Welcome from Canada

[Hunter's 64]

From Sunny Florida

Danny

[Hoofbeat Racer]

Welcome from Canada. Great story and you will enjoy yourself here. We spend a lot of time west of Portland every summer. Its beautiful country down there. Now you got me thinking of a big of a Camp 18 breakfast!

[Lowell]

Hi from Southern Indiana, I have a 65 with a 240 probably one of the best engines ever built for longevity.

[Oregoon]

Hoofbeat, I grew up about 30 miles from Camp 18! Worked in those woods a bit, too. I love the area, though nowadays I live on the other side of the Portland--closer to The Columbia Gorge Foodstick referenced.

It's a great place to live, and despite the rain, our vehicles are relatively rust-free due to the lack of salt on our roads. Just don't park under a fir-tree, and you're good.

Oh and Lowell: I'm about 90% sure I have a 240. Two-groove pulley, AE block... However, I've seen a few 240 blocks rebuilt with 300 rotating assemblies and have heard of factory AE 300s. Either one is great with me, though. Both fantastic engines.

Will break out a wire and a square and a tape and figure it out tomorrow.

[grump]

Hello from N.W. Ohio.

[milomilo]

Welcome. We will enjoy your build pics.

[Oregoon]

Welcome. We will enjoy your build pics.

They will be slow in the coming. Got a lot of drivability/neglect issues to sort out. Not sure how many pics of a degreased inliner ya'll wanna see...

[ras4434]

Welcome from another webfoot. I am south of you in Albany. Let me know if I can help with any parts....seems I have been addicted for quite some time....wait did I say that out loud or was I thinking it,,,,,,,

[Hoofbeat Racer]

Pretty sure there is another member on here from The Dalles or a town next to it. Will have to look on a map. Don't let the secret out about rust free trucks in the NW. We need to keep that low key like all the Mercurys than roam the plains of Canada!

[Hoofbeat Racer]

I think it's Hood River that a member lives at. Just forget who though?? Which way from Elsie did you grow up?

[Oregoon]

I grew up east of Elsie, in the Tualatin Valley. I spent my time bewteen the then small-town of Aloha and the hills above Scappoose, as well as a lot of time in Forest Grove, Gaston, and Vernonia.

And I've also lived in Hood River, now that we bring that up! Small world, man!

[64crew4x4]

Welcome from Eugene Oregon.....we have a few members here local in Eugene...

Pm me if you are looking for Mags..I have a Full set of 4 in great shape...for your F100...also a few others things as well....

I have a 64 flare side screaming for me to turn Gasser, but My Crew comes first...Camp 18 Rocks....

Good Luck, John.